Packed - ish!

 Gabby and I will do a final check of my luggage this morning.  I am wearing some lovely (if aged) loose summer trousers which are so comfy, the wired bra's are in the suitcase and I have my stretchy sports bra on for comfort.  Having lost 5 lbs in weight it fits better than it did.  Hopefully I can drop below 11 stone again whilst away - nearly there.  

Ted and Minnie Mouse waiting for Rosie to return soon.

Thank you all for your kind wishes.  I have been feeling overwhelmed as when you don't sleep well it makes you so emotional, so I have had tears pricking my eyes all the time.  Couldn't even cheer myself up watching Home Alone as you had to pay for it!  Somehow even Sean Bean in the Frankenstein Chronicles didn't distract me - just depressed me!

Anyway, Gabby arrived, with wine, last night, and the edge has been wiped off my anxiety.  She is parking up and coming in to get me through the first two stages of checking in as she knows I am worried about checking in etc.  I thought the first bit of flight was 20 hours, but it's 13 from Heathrow to Singapore - long enough when 5 hrs to Jordan was a struggle to cope with.  Then a couple of hours for refuelling at Singapore airport, which is absolutely beautiful - and the girls have said set an alarm incase I fall asleep! - and then another ten hours to Christchurch.  I arrive 10 a.m. ish on Friday morning.  I will be VERY glad to arrive!  The only time in my life - having scarcely travelled at all - that I have flown solo was from Bournemouth airport to Guernsey, in the days when the B'mth airport was just a big shed - a hangover from WWII! The actual flight was about 15 minutes, so no sooner had you taken off, you were landing again.  A bit different this time.

I will try and keep blogging whilst I'm away.  So - watch this space.

A walk around Brecon

 I had a lot of driving yesterday.  First to the auction (40 mins away) to collect the unsold musket, then down to Brecon for my banking appt.  However, I had to double back to Kington to pick up the Brecon road from there as the A4112 was still shut for bridge repairs.  Grrr.  Should have checked before I left home.  I had to loop round to the A4111 and then drive past the end of the A4112 near the Orgasmic Cider Company . . .  Still, the scenery was lovely and hedgerows on the wilder bit of the journey from Builth to Kington were beautiful with the lemon yellow and gold of the Hazel bushes contrasting with the cinnamon brown of the bracken.

I had a wander round Brecon before my appt. as I was early.  This building was the Bell Inn and Camden Arms Hotel (they used to let Post Horses, back in the day.  Such a business paid something like 5 shillings (old money) a year to hire out the coach/carriage horses.  The act was passed in 1780.

The pub on the left celebrates the tradegic actress Sarah Siddons who was born here, Sarah Kemble, in 1755, when this pub was known as the Shoulder of Mutton.

Next door, the Ardent Gallery has a date plate and initials:

1589 - you may be sure that behind that Georgianised facade are the original timber bones of the building.  There was a small doorway inside, leading to the Inn next door.  For decades this was a Chemists' shop.

St Mary's Church in Brecon - memorial to the Fallen in both World Wars.  I had a wander round here after I'd done my bank appt. and renewed (and increased) my ISA investment.  Job well done.

A wonderful Poppy display.

It was lovely and warm inside, as they now have a busy cafe there and I almost sat down with tea and cake until I saw the price of a cup of tea and went to Greggs instead!

A lovely old stone coffin lid from around the 13th C.

An old ornate lead font.

It was a quick church-bothering and then I looked in a couple of charity shops and found a new wash bag for my holiday (£2) and I got Rosie a lovely book for Christmas, great illustrations and a QR link to the story being read out loud, which Tam will appreciate.  I had a hot Steak Pie in the car for my lunch and then came home across the Epynts.

The autumn colours on this bit of woodland were more subdued when I was able to stop for a photograph - on the approach they had seemed more colourful.  I thought of the families who used to farm on the Epynt - until the WWII clearances - and how this landscape would have been so familiar to them.  This is the edge of the Military holding and you can see from the fields it is regularly farmed now, with the wilder (and sourer-soiled) marshy land beyond it.

Right, this won't do.  SO many bits and pieces to sort out today.  Probably won't get a chance to check in tomorrow, so . . . until my next post, hopefully from NZ if the E-Sim card works ok . . . byesy-by!

 

A list as long as my arm

 Yesterday was somewhat full on.  All the family were here for a meal to celebrate what would have been Keith's 85th birthday.  Gabby cooked it for us, bless her.  (Venison steaks, veg and Potato Dauphinoise).

I am so lucky to have this on my doorstep.  The slope to the left belongs to me, having been part of the much bigger estate but stayed with my plot when it was divided up for sale around 1900.

 

Without the help of the girls, there is no way I could have planned this trip on my own, having so little experience of foreign travel.  Just the "what to pack" list made two pages, then there were short lists of important phone numbers, passwords, and we printed off all the necessary paperwork just in case it was needed. Any apps I might need went on my phone and Tam rearranged the layout so the important ones I would/might need were all on the same "page" at the front.   Danny was very sensible and said that the middle week travelling looked worse than it was (on paper) as basically it was just travelling from A to B and stopping at a hotel en route, with outings.  They all said just to break it down into little steps and it was going to be ok. . . . .  and breathe . . .

Little Rosie has been an absolute joy, though very subdued with Danny here (hah, like my boy cats, who Stayed Outside as he was clearly Dodgy - yet they grew up with him!!).  She will come up and ask for an 'Ug, although she did say cuddle a couple of times.  When she bought me a photo of my dad which is on the little joint stool by the fireplace, I told her it was my dad, her g. grandad.  Yesterday morning she carried it over to me again and gave it to me, looked up and said "dad" (meaning my dad).  That just amazed me.  She has such empathy and is so caring and loving.  We are so close, and she asks for me every day (hoping I will visit).  We will keep in touch via video call when I am in NZ. 

The house was very quiet when they had all gone last night.  I was absolutely shattered.  I began getting ready for bed at 8.15 as I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.  I was out like a light and slept solidly for 5 hrs before Alfie asked to go out.  Then I was Wide Awake of course!

So I have had a cup of tea and a piece of toast and will play a couple of games of Solitaire and drag myself back up to bed.  Have to drive to the auction first thing tomorrow to pick up a musket which didn't sell, and then an hour in the opposite direction to go to my bank appt. in Brecon, to reinvest my ISA.  Then back home, make my bed up fresh, strip the rest of the meat off the chicken and decide what to do with it (freeze it probably) and sort out perishables to give to Pam to use up.

Coming up for air

 I have been awake since 4.30 a.m.  Typical.  Guidelines tell you to get as much sleep as possible before long haul travel.  Pah.  That's not happening!

Gabby arrived yesterday with travelling stuff for me (small case for cabin luggage and a smart little leather shoulder bag which will be an improvement on my ageing bumbag . . .)  She and Tam got cracking and sorted out everything that needed to be sorted out for me and I can only say, without them I wouldn't be going.  I've just had a lovely video chat with my NZ friend Rosie and could honestly say "see you SOON!"

Danny is arriving later and we will have the meal to remember Keith on his birthday.  He would have been 85 today.

The new header is taken down in the Romantic Dingle :)  We took Rosie for a little walk down there yesterday and the sun came through the trees to light up that beautiful beech tree.  

Of course, with perfect timing, Alfie had a big ding-dong of a cat fight last night - there is ginger and white fur in clumps outside (hopefully not ALL his) and Pippi must know something went on as she doesn't want to go out, and was lurking, worried in the utility, so I let her back in and she's asleep on the sofa now.  I do hope he doesn't get an abscess somewhere . . .

Oh, and with equally perfect timing, the scales are not weighing properly.  They tell me I am 9 1/2 stone and whilst I really wish this were the case, I know they are lieing!  Not sure where I can get the battery so might have to buy new scales (these have done sterling service) . . .  (Straightforward - got a battery from Co-op!)

Yesterday was a struggle

 Thank heavens for Tam being here to sort out all the flight side of things, and the apps to go on my phone - and that side flung me into a full sudden stomach-lurching panic attack. I felt just as I did when Keith was so desperately ill and I had to deal with him on my own because D wasn't here.  I am NOT good with technology and have only regularly used a mobile phone for a couple of years.  I still have L plates up and the girls despair of me!  I have had another tutorial and think I should be able to sort myself with it now . . .  If not, I shall ask for help!

Rosie wanted to make a camp for herself last night and kept pointing at cushions and saying One.  Earlier in the day she was taking cushions off the kitchen chairs and counting, and can now count to three!! That means she already has an idea of the concept of counting and how many, that being pretty early in development.  Sometimes a child is four before making the connection.  She learns new words every day and has said several short sentences, which is pretty amazing.

"Book Glanma".  Earlier on we caught her chomping on a Crab Apple . . . she is clearly in touch with her Hunter-Gatherer instincts!

Today I will be packing.  We will go out for a walk as it's a lovely sunny day, and Gabby is arriving late afternoon with tomorrow's venison steaks.  We will have those with veg and Dauphinoise potatoes.

I think this is a Liquidamber tree, down on the Groe.  It is SO beautiful and the leaves at the top are dark maroon.

Leaves from it on left, and cherry leaves.  I loved the yellow/red/black of that leaf on the left.

A lovely old Riley in the car park at Aldi in Llandod.  Walnut dashboard, leather seats.  I was talking to an old chap, also admiring it, and he said it drove like a sports car and some folk used to put a new body on it so it looked the part!

Right, off to consult my packing list . . . .

Thrips in November?!

 I am glad to report I am much MUCH more cheerful today.  A good night's sleep helped, but just not being alone is the best thing.  I do get so very lonely here.  Rosie's first words on waking this morning:  Glan-ma, light and cat!

The camera on my phone has a delay and every photo I took this morning so far has ended up wrong!

Ah well, she's gorgeous anyway!

The flood waters seem to be receding now, but I imagine the Cresselly Arms is going to be a huge clean-up job and of course, they can't get flood insurance.  A tree branch took the window out . . .

Photo from Wales online yesterday . . . 

Abergwili football pitch . . .

There is a house out of sight on the far side of the flood.  Think it was sold in a dry period and done up for an Air B&B . . .  This is Llechryd bridge, back in 2018, from a You Tube video, but it was the same yesterday . . . 

This is the lovely house, and the photo was taken 20 years ago, thanks to Geograph who take photo for every grid square.

And here is an imponderable for you - how do cutlery draws get dirty when you are putting away only clean cutlery?

Also, Thrips (tiny black thunder flies) hatching in November?  Not before, not here . . . but in Tam's bedroom, we have a hatching!  Jen and vacuum cleaner heading upstairs now . . .

Flooding

 

Whilst we had a lot of rain these past couple of days (tail end of Hurricane Melissa I believe), and our River Wye is high and folk downstream on flood alert (Bredwardine and Hereford getting it), it was our old home, Carmarthenshire, which got hit really badly again.  These are photos I took in 2020 I think.  It was every bit as bad yesterday, if not worse.  Danny struggled to get home with Emma, in the dark.  Personally, I would have taken note of the Yellow Weather warning and cancelled bookings . . .

This was looking across the River Towy as you approach Carmarthen on the by-pass.  The line of the river is normally 15 feet wide at most, towards the trees on the far bank.  Carmarthen flooded again yesterday, as the river broke its banks at the bottom of Castle Hill . . .  

Above and below - as the river rises it spills across the lane at the bottom of the hill up to our old house, and can get pretty deep.  Below shows how deep it was in 2020.

Last night my friend's son had to drive through this flooded part to reach home, all the other roads to their smallholding being shut from flooding (as this should have been too).  It was after dark, and the only guidance he had of the line of the lane, was the lights in the bungalow.  He kept his revs up, but said that the water was coming up over his headlights and the car was beginning to float!  My goodness, he was lucky that it didn't cut out for then he would have been floating backwards into the river and the speed that would have been going in spate, he'd have been lucky to escape with his life.

I had a very bad night - I was still awake at 3.30 a.m. and I feel absolutely wiped out today.  I will have to force myself to do anything.  I'm glad that Tam and Rosie are arriving later for a few days.  I feel SO down in the dumps.  I cannot balance the wonderful holiday in NZ against my anxiety levels and  lowness of spirit at the moment.    Since Keith died, when I am anxious about something (as I was about the Jordan holiday) it just becomes overwhelming and I find it so hard to face the challenges ahead.  Once I get there I will be find, it's just I cannot find the positives at the moment.

But hey, it's stopped raining . . . got to get a positive into the day somehow!